Designated by the term “securing” is at least one of the operations consisting of checking the tightness of the joint concerned and of protecting this joint from alteration.
The invention concerns more specifically, but not in a limiting way, the field of electro-technical devices comprising a plurality of capacitors fixed on a common support and a container in which said capacitors are housed.
The container is, for example, formed by an elongated tubular wall of electrically insulating material, and comprises at least one aperture, referred to as an access, of sufficient section to allow the insertion or even extraction of capacitors mounted on their common support.
In general, the container has a longitudinal axis and two opposite ends at the level of each of which an end face extends situated in a plane substantially orthogonal to said longitudinal axis. At least one of the end faces is formed by an annular surface which borders on a hole forming an opening for access to the inside of the container.
Conventionally, each end of the container having an access aperture bears a cover which is firmly held pressing tightly against the annular surface by means of restraining elements such as screws.
In a known way, the cover comprises a surface of contact on the annular surface, and the tightness between the surfaces in contact is ensured through interposition of a first sealing joint, in particular of toric type, between the annular surface and an annular supporting area provided in the surface of contact of the cover.
Known, to reinforce the tightness, is to form a second sealing joint around the cover in such a way as to occlude the interstice which appears at the periphery of the cover and container assembly, between the annular surface of the container and the surface of contact of the cover.
For this purpose, it is known for the cover and the container to have depressions which, when said cover and the container are brought together, form an open peripheral groove into which a sealing material, such as a silicon paste, can be poured.
This technique yields very good results, but it entails operations of manipulation of the electro-technical device to pour the supplementary joint, which can be detrimental to the container. In fact, in industrial circles, such electro-technical devices have conventionally a longitudinal dimension greater than a meter and a weight which can reach several hundred kilograms. When the container is made of ceramic, which is very often the case, this container is then sensitive to shocks, and a large number of manipulations thus increases significantly the risk of breakage.
A result which the present invention aims to obtain is to reduce the risk of breakage of electro-technical devices of the aforementioned type during formation of a second sealing joint.
Another drawback of state-of-the-art electro-technical devices ties in the fact that the supplementary joint is exposed to the atmosphere and can be altered by atmospheric agents. When the second sealing joint is altered, protection of the first sealing joint is no longer ensured.
Another result which the invention aims to obtain is a method for checking the impermeability of the sealing joint and protecting this first sealing joint from alteration in an ensured way.